Cartoonist Rafiqun Nabi, better known as Ranabi, shared his journey, the experience of being an artist, and his self-reflection during a dialogue on Tuesday.
“Early in my career, I used to sit by the phone after my cartoon was published, waiting for someone to appreciate me. Soon, my phone was getting flooded with calls,” said Ranabi.
The dialogue was held as a part of The Story of Art exhibition organized by Dhaka Storytellers at Aloki Greenhouse, Dhaka.
Ranabi reminisced about his first art training, saying: “When my father was tasked to teach me Bangla script, he used to draw the object which the letter starts with. I used to try to draw these, but was unable to do so."
He said his experience writing for local wall magazines helped him in his career. “I did not realize it before, but now I understand how much it has helped me."
Speaking about Dhaka Art College, he said: “If Zainul Abedin and his friends had not founded it, we would not have had the opportunity to study art so easily. Many of us could not afford to go to Kolkata to pursue art education.”
“Everybody says one has to be talented to be an artist. I do not have that.” According to him, being surrounded by working professionals can be beneficial. “Maybe I had something like that,” he added.
After the discussion, Dhaka Tribune approached Ranabi to hear his thoughts on the current state of cartoons in newspapers.
With a smile, Ranabi replied: “I stopped reading newspapers a long time ago.”
However, he acknowledged the talent of current cartoonists. When asked about political cartoons, he said: “Most newspaper cartoons have now shifted to graffiti.”
The Story of Art is a group exhibition open to all until Thursday, from 11am to 10pm.
